January 28, 2000

When Ruth West woke up in her MGH hospital bed in April 1997, she did not have any idea what day it was or what had happened to her. Nor had she seen the baby girl that she had given birth to three days earlier. West had been in a coma caused by the onset of preeclampsia, a rare condition among pregnant women characterized by high blood pressure and other metabolic abnormalities. Preeclampsia can have dangerous consequences for both mother and child.

West's second pregnancy had seemed fairly normal, although she did experience swollen ankles and feet, some headaches and occasional abdominal pain. She felt that these symptoms were a result of the stress she was feeling from her father-in-law's recent diagnosis with terminal brain cancer.

On April 9, during her 36th week, she suddenly began experiencing a severe headache, sharp abdominal pains and vomiting. When she arrived at Brockton Hospital, she could not stand up straight, her blood pressure was very high, and her brain was swelling.

"I was in the worst pain of my entire life," says West. "The doctor on call missed the diagnosis and continued to attempt delivering my baby. My husband didn't even know that anything was really wrong." Fortunately, when West's obstetrician came in and saw her chart, she diagnosed West with preeclampsia and had her flown by MedFlight to the MGH.

West was in a coma for three days, and when she awoke, she had lost memory of the preceding days' events, including the delivery of her daughter, Sarah. "It made me sad to know that Sarah was at Brockton Hospital and had never seen her mother. I was so determined to get out of the hospital as soon as possible so that I could finally hold my baby girl," says West.

The coma affected West's speech, balance and coordination. Her neurologist suggested that she try things that she had never done before to form new neuropathways and help her to recover. West tried painting and discovered her talent as an artist.

Today, West still struggles with her memory and other cognitive skills, and returns to the MGH regularly for medical care. She has found that painting is a good way to express herself. "My imagination always will be there to help me create scenes for my paintings. It's really therapeutic," says West. She also uses her talent to help others who have experienced hardship, such as painting free portraits for families who have lost children or donating paintings to charity auctions.

"There is life after coma, even though nothing is ever the same," says West. "Everyone at the MGH was so kind and treated me so well while I was there. I am so grateful for that." Ruth's website, which displays her paintings and recounts her story in detail, can be visited at www.ruthwest-artist.com.

West presents one of her paintings to her doctor,
Ferdinando Buonanno, MD, of the MGH Stroke Service.